Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina - School: Church and theology A-Z


We hope this page will provide further on-line resources to you which are associated with Christian education and theology. Below is an alphabetical list of topics. Click on what interests you to find more detailed information about the resource. Anglicanism Bible Christian Formation Congregational Resources Education Economic Justice Ethics Gender Healing Lenten Studies Liturgy Ministry Mission Prayer and Spiritual Discipline Anglicanism Listening, learning as Anglicans: From Lambeth Conferences to the recent Windsor Report, Anglicans have been called to listen to one another. A new on-line resource has been launched to reflect and to document the richness of this process. New materials will be posted to the site weekly under the title “The Episcopal Church: Listening and Learning as Anglicans.” The on-line resources are organized around concepts inspired by 16th-century English theologian Richard Hooker and titled “Listening in Scripture,” “Listening in Reason,” Listening in Tradition.” A fourth section is titled “Listening in Communion.” Bible For access to various translations of the Bible, visit The International Bible Society site, which also rovides extensive on-line Bible resources, including essays on translation itself; Bible Gateway, which provides easy access to key translations; and the Bible Resource Center, which provides texts in multiple languages and translations. Virginia Theological Seminary has begun a series of short, readable pamphlets introducing the books of the Bible, called “Bible Briefs.” They can be downloaded free of charge. Each pamphlet presents a concise introduction to a biblical book, which will send readers straight to the Old and New Testaments to begin “adventuring” through Scriptures. The series is not yet complete, but they have all the gospels and a good portion of the epistles available. Christian Formation Go to the Diocese of Connecticut's website and find resources pages and links for all ages with formational resources, diocesan guidelines for confirmation, etc. and newsletters. There are lots of pdf downloads. Congregational Resources Process, Not Program: Creating Congregations of Learning and Practice -- Adult Faith Formation for Vital Churches. In referring to "adult faith formation," rather than "adult education," author Diana Bass notes, "too often the word, ‘education,’ carries the connotation of information or expertise. Adult formation does educate, but it also engages the whole person—intellect, passions, and spirit—in a process and practice of Christian maturity." This web-site is a great resource for congregations, ordained or lay ministers, and will provide you with ideas to help your congregation engage in the process of becoming more fully aware of its unique identity and God's call (hence the title, Process, Not Program). Lesson Plans for Small Congregations are available at the Episcopal Church website. These plans are provided through the Episcopal Council for Christian Education (ECCE) . Organized by the season, you can easily access these free weekly lesson plan, which are designed for younger or older children as well as adults Education The Center for Anglican Learning and Leadership (CALL) at Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP) in Berkeley, California, announces new online courses for clergy and lay persons. Now in its 11th year and a leader in online education, CALL was established at CDSP for the strengthening and development of spiritual depth, leadership, ministry, and mission of the Church. Specific classes are listed in our Opportunities page. PeerSpirit presents a philosophy and methodology of group discussions and actions that was used in 2006 at the Episcopal Church’s conference on “Wrestling with the Big Questions.” Their “Basic Guidelines for Calling a Circle,” excerpted from Christina Baldwin’s book, Calling the Circle, the First and Future Culture is available on-line. They also have a booklet, PeerSpirit Circling in Congregational Life , written by Baldwin and United Methodist minister Craig Gilliam; which may be ordered for $5.00 (10 or more, $4.00 each). The booklet addresses ways that the circle process can help congregations build healthy faith communities. It includes suggestions for sustaining effective committee and vestry meetings. The Thoughtful Christian has two excellent adult studies which are “freebies” that we particularly like for facilitators, one called “The Art of Asking Good Questions,” the other “Ways to Get Adults to Talk.” TE for All (Theological Education for All) is a website for Episcopalians who value learning. Persons new to the Church and those with experience in education and formation ministries will all find: annotated links to interesting and useful web sites, articles, bibliographies and downloadable resources for exploration of the Christian faith and spirituality. The site is designed to serve as a platform for interactive forums on current topics of interest to practitioners and learners and we are looking for volunteers to moderate hosted discussions. We hope this site will be a resource for you in your ministry with dioceses and congregations. Alexei Khamin is the Content Editor for the site and if you have ideas, suggestions or comments about TE for ALL please feel free to contact him (akhamin@episcopalchurch.org). back to top Economic Justice Equal Exchange was founded in 1986 to create a new approach to trade. Using the internationally recognized fair trade standards, Equal Exchange seeks to balance the inequities found in the conventional coffee trade, which is a leading source of income for the developing world. You can help our global neighbors help themselves through your purchases from the Exchanges's Interfaith Program. Go to Equal Exchange for more information and to place an order for coffee, tea and/or cocoa. Ethics God's Politics, A New vision for Faith and Politics in America, written by Jim Wallis, provides an opportunity to foster dialogue and build bridges among church members while reflecting upon peace, justice, and spiritual renewal. Sojourners provides a leader's guide (a pdf file). Gender "Shall We Gather: Anglican Women Together," documents the 2005 gathering of the Anglican Communion's delegates to the 49th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW). The DVD and study guide promotes gender balance, equality in Communion and world. For more information click here. Healing Healing in the Episcopal Church - A growing number of Episcopal churches are expanding their healing ministries. From periodic services dedicated to healing to laying-on-of-hands during Sunday services, to parish-nurse programs, much is happening in this emerging ministry. National Episcopal Health Ministries provide information on how congregations can witness better to the healing power of god. back to top Lenten Studies Please be reminded that the Presiding Bishop has designated the first Sunday in Lent, February 10, as ERD Sunday. The same designation will apply in succeeding years, so plan to use ERD as a jumping off point for Lenten programs in years to come. Excellent resources to help you engage your parish in the event this year are available on the ERD web site. You'll find the downloadable resources to be particularly effective. The goal of Groundwork is to encourage personal and congregational transformation, to ask congregational members and leaders to dig deeply into the soil of their mission and context to do serious and joyful learning about evangelism, invitation, and welcome. For information about their Lenten Study, click here. The Thoughtful Christian does some quite manageable and, “thoughtful” studies of short duration. You may look at the variety of courses they have designed at their web-site to see their Lenten study suggestion. Another resource for Lenten studies ideas is Logos Productions, which serves the mainline ecumentical church. You can find their catalog on-line to see their wide variety of adult studies. Liturgy What makes a prayer a collect? Writing collects could be a meaningful activity for you. This resource, from our Dean, suggests how. Here is a link to find an electronic copy of the new Revised Common Lectionary. Ministry The e-Ministry Network supports the people of the Church in faithful and effective ministry to their communities and congregations through a church-wide center for ministry training, information and connection. Click here for the website. Mission Re-thinking Mission is an electronic journal focusing on mission studies. It aims to stimulate new thinking about the theology of mission, enlightened by perspectives of Christians from around the world. It contains articles, book reviews, news items and useful web links. This resource has been developed by a collaborative group in Britain, comprising USPG, the Methodist Church, and the United College of the Ascension. Prayer and Spiritual Discipline The Anglican Cycle of Prayer: To pray daily for one another throughout the church universal The Daily Office: To engage in worship each day (available in English and Spanish) Sacred Space provides an excellent model for daily prayer online. It is a great way to begin your day! back to top